PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate the applicability of proprioceptive-dependent training as an effective physical training method by analyzing the effects of proprioceptive-dependent training on the accuracy of perceived and actual distance as well as the correlation between the changes in the two variables. METHODS Thirty-six male college students took part in the experiment. Participants were beginners with no previous experience in golf or less than five times of experience. They were randomly assigned to one of three groups; proprioceptive-dependent training, visual-dependent training, and control, maintaining the same sample size per group. The experiment was carried out in the order of pre-test, practice section, and post-test. In the pre-test, putting was tested to assess the accuracy of perceptual and actual distance in the 1-15m distance in a random order using a digital putting analyzer. In the practice section, proprioceptive-dependent and visual-dependent training groups practiced a total of 90 putting, six times per distance with the eyes closed or open. The post-test was the same as the pre-test. The accuracy of perceived and actual distance and the correlation between the changes in the two variables were analyzed using the calculated absolute errors. RESULTS The results of this study showed that there was no difference between groups in pre-test. In contrast, in post-test, the absolute error was significantly decreased in the order of proprioceptive-dependent training, visual-dependent training, and control group in the three distance conditions. Besides, for the proprioceptive-dependent training group and visual-dependent training group, there was a significant positive correlation between the changes in the accuracy of perceived and actual distance. CONCLUSIONS These results provide insight into the applicability of proprioceptive-dependent training for enhancing motor performance by showing the effects of proprioceptive-dependent training on perceived distance, actual distance, and the correlation between the two variables.
Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the track records and physical abilities in elite cyclists(keirin). Methods Twenty three elite cyclists were measured height, weight, lower body circumference(thigh, calf, and ankle), basal physical abilities(grip/back muscle strength, 25m sprint, Sargent jump test, Burpee test, shuttle run test), one-repetition maximum(1RM) strength(back squat, bench press, leg curl, power clean, dead-lift, leg press), aerobic capacity(V̇O2max, METs, HRmax), and track records(200m and 500m). Stepwise multiple regression analyses were performed to investigate which physical abilities related to track records. Results A statistically significant relationship was found between 200m track records and 2 variables which were the thigh circumference and 1RM leg press(p<.05). Also, the thigh circumference and 1RM leg press were significantly related to 500m track records(p<.05). Conclusions The results showed that the thigh circumference and maximal strength were associated with the track records in elite cyclists(keirin).
Purpose The following study was conducted to suggest and verify the validity of the concept of team performance, which has previously been considered as the total sum of individual performances. Method The concept of team performance was extracted by a conductive content analysis and an exploratory factor analysis of the data gathered from middle school football players. To verify the validity of the extracted concept, football experts' opinions were collected. Results The idea of team performance, categorized by Footballship, Team Capability, Personal Capability, Communication among Members, has been taken differently from the total sum of individual performances. Footballship is the virtue that should be materialized, and simultaneously earned during the game. Team Capability is a available resource for team's performance, Personal Capability is a available resource for a player's performance, and Communication among Members is the intimacy of communication between coaches and players. The conglomeration of experts' opinions on the concept of team performance and its components shows that team performance is evidently different from the total sum of individual performances. Conclusion The following study has been conducted to suggest and verify the validity of the concept of team performance. Team performance exists, standing distinct from the sum of individual performance, and understanding the concept of team performance will contribute not only to understanding performance, but also to improve the effectiveness of training and managing the team. Interest of the sport society is looked forward to.
This study aimed to explore the psychological factors affecting sports performance and their purposes as perceived by adolescent athletes. Study data were collected by conducting an open-ended survey with 232 student athletes from adolescent athletes in S city. The collected data were categorized using content analysis, which was conducted twice to explore the psychological factors affecting sports performance and their purposes. From 537 answers, 30 performance-affecting psychological factors—including confidence, endurance, effort/dedication, optimal tension, and social support—were identified, and they were classified into five categories: psychological fundamental, mental toughness, motivation, emotional stability, and social relationships. From 588 answers, the purposes of the psychological factors were identified, including performance achievement, motivation enhancement, demonstrating mental toughness, cognitive strategy, confidence increase, emotional regulation, injury prevention, game strategy, and reinforcement cohesion. These performance-affecting psychological factors and their purposes may serve as a reference to understand how secondary school students perceive the relationships among various psychological factors and the relationship between the psychological factors and performance. This study is expected to inform goal setting and content organization in psychological skills training.
PURPOSE Using GPS data from actual field hockey matches, this study examined the effects of position and substitution time on the physical performance of elite female players. METHODS From 25 matches played in 2023, data involving 26 players were collected. Players’ positions were classified as forwards (FW), midfielders (MF), and defenders (DF). Substitution times were segmented into 5, 10, and 15 minutes, respectively. A two-way ANOVA was employed to analyze movement patterns across different exercise intensities as influenced by player position and substitution time, followed by Bonferroni post-hoc tests for further detailed analysis. RESULTS Analysis revealed that both position and substitution time significantly affected exercise intensity. Notably, at a substitution time of 5 minutes, substantial differences were observed in high-intensity movements, including the distance covered at high-intensity and the frequency of high-intensity efforts. Furthermore, the substitution time’s impact was particularly pronounced among forwards and midfielders. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that shorter substitution times can enhance players’ active movement, thereby supporting maintenance of tactical adjustments and positively influencing overall performance. Implementing shorter substitution times could be particularly beneficial for optimizing team performance, especially for players in forward positions.
PURPOSE This study examined the effects of focus of attention on beginning golfers’ competitive anxiety and motor performance. METHODS Forty-eight college students with no prior golf putting experience were selected as participants and randomly assigned to internal-focus, external-focus, holistic-focus, and control groups (12 participants each). All subjects performed 5-m golf putting in acquisition, noncompetitive, and competitive situations. RESULTS In competitive situations, the internal-focus, holistic-focus, and control groups showed golf putting accuracy and consistency similar to those in noncompetitive situations, whereas the external-focus group’s golf putting accuracy and consistency were significantly lower in competitive situations than in noncompetitive situations. In addition, the holistic-focus group showed significantly higher golf putting accuracy than the control group in both competitive and noncompetitive situations. CONCLUSIONS Holistic-focus can be used effectively as a strategy for beginners to learn motor skills and reproduce learned motor skills when state anxiety increases. However, external attention focus cannot be considered a strategy to induce effective beginners’ exercise performance when competitive state anxiety increases.
PURPOSE This study seeks to contribute to the enhancement of the performance of domestic wheelchair racers by producing 3D-printed customized gloves and verifying their application effect. METHODS A total of three male wheelchair racers who belong to the T54 and have won gold medals in the National Para Games within the last three years were selected as subjects. Each subject performed three session s of muscle activity and maximum speed measurements before and after applying a 3D-printed glove during the stroke and recovery phases of wheelchair racing, focusing on the pectoralis major (PM), triceps brachii (TB), and erector spinae (ES) muscles. To standardize the muscle activity measurement data, the relative muscle activity level (%) for each section was calculated by maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) for each subject. All maximum speeds of each round of driving were calculated by the average record for comparative analysis. In addition, to verify the effectiveness of applying the 3D-printed glove, the Wilcoxon signed rank test, which is a non-parametric test method, was performed on all measured values using SPSS 24.0. RESULTS This study derived the following results. First, a statistically significant difference was observed in the muscle activity of each major muscle before and after using the 3D-printed glove. In common, an increase in muscle activity of the PM, TB, and ES was confirmed in the stroke section, and an increase in muscle activity of the TB was confirmed in the recovery section. Second, a statistically significant difference was documented in the maximum speed before and after using the 3D-printed glove. When using 3D-printed gloves, the maximum speed increased by 4.57, 3.63, and 1.06km/h for Payer A, and by 5.9, 6.04, and 7.86km/ h for Player B. In the case of Player C, the speed increased by 6.73, 2.27, and 0.83km/h, and all three players improved their maximum speed through the 3D-printed gloves. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that the application of 3D-printed customized gloves can have a positive impact on the performance of wheelchair racers. If the application of 3D-printed customized equipment is extended to athletes in a wider range of sports in the future, this could significantly contribute to the improvement of performance in domestic disability sport.
PURPOSE This study aimed to extract football coaches’ categories of performance evaluation factors (PEF) and examine the reflective characteristics of the football coaches’ player and casting judgments. METHODS PEF were extracted through an open-ended questionnaire and categorization from 80 AFC C or higher football coaches. Reflection was calculated in player and casting judgments through an analytic hierarchy process. The difference between the football coaches’ player and casting judgments was examined using SPSS 21.0. RESULTS First, the PEF of football coaches were categorized into four general categories: physical intelligence, psychological intelligence, growth potential, and competition intelligence. Second, the importance of football coaches’ player judgments were reflected by the PEF as football intelligence, situation judgment, football talent, tactical understanding, tactical operation, etc. The importance of the casting judgment were reflected by the PEF as tactical understanding, mediative skills, fitness, tactical operation, situation judgment, etc. Third, a statistically significant difference was noted between player and casting judgments. Football coaches tended to value growth potential and talent as sub-factors in the player evaluations. Football coaches’ PEF were aligned with the importance of player and casting judgments in psychological and competition intelligence as sub-factors such as skills, physical, attitude, passion, etc., but differed from physical intelligence and growth potential as sub-factors including mediative skills, physical, football talent, and tactical understanding. CONCLUSIONS In the football coaches’ player evaluations, the idealistic principle centered on growth potential. However, in the casting evaluation, the realistic principle centered on victory takes effect.
PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to section the stages of performance development based on the track and field athletes' performance records, derive the performance development span, which was a continuum of the development stages, and extract the psychological experience of the performance development span. METHODS In this study, 56 retired track and field athletes were provided with competition records, and 10 athletes participated in in-depth interviews. With the stage of performance development partitioned using long and short-term moving averages and regression slope in PRR, a continuous of performance development span was derived. To extract psychological experiences in the performance development span, a subject analysis was conducted after an in-depth interview. RESULTS First, the track and field athletes' performance development stage calculated short and long-term moving averages in the PRR. Based on the average difference in the regression slope of the initial 20% CPR in which the long-term moving average was not calculated, it was divided into beginning, rising, peak, and decline periods. Second, the performance development span was a continuum of the stage was of performance development, and the beginning period was 0 < PRR ≤ 7, it was a time when the competition record rises sharply. The rising period was 7 < PRR ≤ 60, which was a virtuous cycle time of growth athlete. The peak period was 60 < PRR ≤ 74, which was a time when the peak record was maintained. The decline period was 74 < PRR ≤ 100, which was a time when the competition record was downward. Third, throughout the performance development span physical intelligence of track and field athletes was based on their natural physical superiority, the technical skills rises and remains at its peak and then enters a downward trend. Competitional Intelligence aims to become personalization as it matures gradually while its competition management capability and game knowledge are immature. Psychological intelligence overcomes the initial psychological atrophy to form confidence, and after experiencing psychological burden at the peak, confidence decreases. In the environmental context, the competition record rises in the early stages, continues to rise, peaks, and enters a downward trend. CONCLUSIONS Track and field athletes' performance development span was implemented as a continuum of beginning, rising, peak, and decline periods, and the psychological experience of the performance development span formed a span of physical intelligence, competitional intelligence, psychological intelligence, and environmental context.
PURPOSE The main purpose of this study was to examine the difference in visual search strategies based on the skill level in success and failure cases in badminton short serves. METHODS To this end, six badminton experts (experience: more than 10 years) and six novices (less than 1 years) participated. The participants’ eye movement was recorded during each trial, and mean fixation duration, mean saccade amplitude, percentage of viewing time on each fixation location, final fixation duration, and gaze entropy were analyzed. RESULTS First, the mean fixation duration did not differ significantly, but the mean saccade amplitude increased when expert players failed to perform the serve successfully. Second, the percentage of viewing time on each location results showed that the overall viewing time was lower when the performance was unsuccessful, and the expert players fixated longer time viewing the net and space when they made a successful serve. Third, expert players showed longer QE than novice players when they made a successful serve. Finally, the gaze entropy results showed that expert players showed greater gaze entropy during successful performance, indicating that the gaze pattern was randomly distributed across trials. CONCLUSIONS When learning a badminton serve, we should fully recognize and explore the receiver’s location and external environment, and subsequently, before initiating serve movement, focus on the net or space between the receiver’s racquet and shoulders to make a more successful performance. In addition, we should make various patterns of the visual search strategy, rather than the fixed or consistent search strategy, to deceive receivers.
